May 21--Two state highway patrol troopers in northwest North Carolina have expressed humility after they received humanitarian awards for their actions that saved lives.
The N.C. State Highway Patrol presented Sgt. James S. Cox of Wilkesboro and Sgt. Mitchell Haunn of Elkin with the awards last week in a ceremony in Raleigh. Several other employees of the N.C. Department of Public Safety and civilians also received honors for their achievements.
"Each trooper went beyond the normal call of duty and demonstrated outstanding judgment," said Col. Michael Gilchrist, commander of the N.C. State Highway Patrol.
Cox and Haunn said they were humbled to be honored.
"I was just doing my job," Cox said.
Cox, a 27-year-veteran, received the Samaritan Service Award for his help with the Jan. 3 rescue of Tommy Shepherd of West Jefferson, a newspaper carrier for the Winston-Salem Journal.
Shepherd lost control of his pickup on an icy road in Ashe County and the vehicle overturned and landed in a creek. Shepherd was trapped inside as water poured inside the truck.
A passing motorist saw the pickup upside down in Nathans Creek where it runs into the South Fork of the New River.
Cox and Aaron Reed, an Ashe County deputy sheriff, arrived and got into the frigid water to try to open the doors of the pickup. They couldn't open the driver's side door because the vehicle was stuck in the mud in the creekbed. They were later joined by two area men, Tommy Richardson and Dennis Davis, who joined the officers in the freezing water.
The men eventually used a chain from an ice scraper/salt truck to yank the door open. Shepherd was rescued from the pickup and taken to Ashe Memorial Hospital, where his core body temperature was measured at 14 degrees.
"Without the quick actions of each of these men, Mr. Shepherd would not be alive today or at the very least would have suffered injuries that would affect him for the rest of his life," the commendation read.
Shepherd said he appreciated what Sgt. Cox did for him.
"He was in the water with me the entire time," Shepherd said.
Cox, 49, said he doesn't consider himself a hero for his role in Shepherd's rescue.
"We did what we had to do to get him out," Cox said.
The three other men -- Reed, Richardson and Davis -- received the State Highway Patrol Life Saving Award.
Haunn, a 18-year veteran, also received the Samaritan Service Award for his participation in the rescue of eight people from a van that overturned on Interstate 77 South in Surry County on Dec. 20, 2011.
Haunn, 40, saw the van, which was carrying a forklift on its trailer, travel into the median and overturn. Haunn used his fire extinguisher to battle a fire that had started in the van.
While Haunn kept the fire at bay, another motorist stopped and helped the van's passengers escape the vehicle without injuries. After Haunn emptied his extinguisher on the fire, the passengers, the motorist and Haunn ran from the scene.
Moments later, the van exploded as the fire ignited the several types of fuels stored in the van.
"Sergeant Haunn's fast reaction can be attributed to saving multiple lives on this occasion," the commendation said.
Haunn said he acted when he saw the wreck happen right in front of him.
"It is something that is expected from everyone in the highway patrol to render aid in that situation," he said.
Copyright 2012 - Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
